Kevin O'Leary Warns Real Threat Is AI, Not Nukes, As Trump Orders First US Nuclear Test Since 1992 To Counter Russia, China

Author: Ananya Gairola | November 01, 2025 03:43am

As President Donald Trump reignites the nuclear testing program for the first time in over three decades, investor and "Shark Tank" star Kevin O'Leary says the real arms race is no longer about missiles but about artificial intelligence.

Trump Revives Nuclear Testing To Counter Rivals

Earlier this week, Trump directed the Pentagon to resume full-scale nuclear weapons testing, marking the first such order since 1992.

He announced the decision on Truth Social, arguing the U.S. must match China and Russia's expanding arsenals to maintain global dominance.

O'Leary Says Show Them Your AI, Not Your Nukes

Reacting to the move, O'Leary said that while nuclear tests are expensive and symbolic, AI superiority will define the future of warfare.

"If you wanna scare the cr** out of an adversary, show them your AI is way better than theirs," he said. "You can go cause havoc in their country by shutting down their internet and their electricity and their utilities…That is what's going to scare people."

O'Leary argued that instead of investing billions in nuclear detonations, the U.S. should focus on building advanced data centers and AI infrastructure, warning that China is already ahead in this race.

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I guarantee this will not happen for one singular reason: it's really expensive to actually do this. If you did it back in the 60s, it was expensive. Today's dollars, I think you're talking billions. And, uh, what would really scare the crap out of your adversaries But, but… pic.twitter.com/oMJfB19Ozn

— Kevin O'Leary aka Mr. Wonderful (@kevinolearytv) October 31, 2025

Tech Leaders Echo Concerns Over US AI Lag

His comments echo warnings from former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who both cautioned that China is rapidly advancing in applied AI despite U.S. export restrictions.

In September, Schmidt noted that China is applying AI to everything — consumer apps, robots, and beyond, while Huang said policies isolating China's developer ecosystem could hurt the U.S. more in the long term.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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